Health & Wellnes

Blush - The main ingredient in most blushes is talc, a carcinogen. Color is provided by hazardous coal tar dyes. Mineral oiil, which clogs pores, and polypropylene glycol, a neurotoxin and skin sensitizer, are binders used to hold the formulations together.  Acrylate compounds, commonly used as thickening agents, can be strong irritants.

Concealer - Concealers contain numerous irritating chemicals like propylene glycol, lanolin and paraben preservatives. Imidazolidinyl urea is the second most reported cause of contact dermatitis. BHA, a preservative, is a carcinogen that can be absorbed through the skin. DEA, TEA and MEA can form carcinogenic nitrosamines that are absorbed through the skin, and are known to cause cancer in major organs.

Eye Shadow - They are used for the colors they provide.  But artificial colors like carcinogenic coal tar dyes are frequent allergens.  Talc, a carcinogen, is the main ingredient in powdered eye shadows.  Eye shadows may also contain mineral oil, a petrochemcial derivative, dimethicone, and silicone oil to make the powder stick to the eyelid.  Cream eye shadows are made with petrochemicals like paraffin and petrolatum, carcinogenic coal tar and lanolin, an allergen which contains pesticide residues.  The glitter in cream eye shadows is created by adding pure aluminium which can cause violent allergic reactions in some people, as well as possibly entering the eye and causing injury to the cornea.  The Consumer Agency and Ombudsman tested 49 eye shadows and found that all of them contained lead, cobalt, nickel, chromium and arsenic.  And the amounts used are causing allergic reactions and hormonal disruptions.

Foundation - Foundation is worn on the skin for many hours. Products containing synthetic ingredients can cause skin problems. Mineral oil can block pores and promote cosmetic acne and isopropyl myristate, a fatty compound, can cause blackheads. Other ingredients include propylene glycol, a neurotoxin and skin sensitizer, TEA and 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol which are carcinogenic and cause hormone disruptions. They also contain quaternium-15, a germicide that breaks down into formaldehyde which is a carcinogen and sensitizer.

Lipstick - A woman may ingest more than four pounds of lipstick in her lifetime - even more if she wears it every day. Mainstream lipsticks are composed of synthetic oils, petroleum waxes and coal tar dye colors – all of which are carcinogenic and easily absorbed through the skin.

Make-up Remover - Makeup removers usually contain propylene glycol, a neurotoxin, parabens, which are estrogen mimics, carcinogenic coal tar colors, DMDM hydantoin and diazolidinyl urea which release formaldehyde and cause cancer.  They also include polyethelene glycol and polysorbate 80 which may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a carcinogen which readily penetrates skin.

Mascara - Conventional mascara contains petroleum distillates, shellac, acrylates (strong irritants), phenylmercuric acetate (preservative made from benzenes and mercury that can cause blisters, skin irritation and allergic reactions), parabens (hormone disrupters, allergens), quaternium-22 (preservative, allergen), quaternium-15 (formaldehyde releaser, cancer causing agent), and pentaerythrityl (resin additive made from formaldehyde). Lash-extending products can contain plasticizers, like polyurethane, that cause cancer in animals, and polystyrene sulfonate which can irritate eyes and disrupts hormones.

Nail Polish - contains toluene and xylene which are known to depress the central nervous system, produce headaches, nausea and narcosis